Word to the Wise
Saturday, December 17, 2022 - December 17
[Gen 49:2, 8-10 and Matt 1:1-17,1365]You, Judah, shall your brothers praise - your hand on the neck of your enemies: the sons of your father shall bow down to you....[Genesis] The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham..... [Matthew]
[DECEMBER 17]
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The first lines of the Gospel According to Matthew really announce the whole purpose of that portrait of Jesus. Matthew wrote for a predominantly Jewish community. He uses two Jewish titles in the first sentence: "Son of David" and "Son of Abraham." (The genealogy in the Gospel According to Luke takes Jesus back to Adam!!!) Both genealogies are the terror of lectors!! Matthew's purpose is to show that Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham and to David and the fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah and other Old Testament prophets. Note in the first scripture from Genesis that it is Judah to whom Abraham grants sovereignty. Jesus is shown in the genealogy to be from the tribe of Judah. Later on in the angel's appearance to Joseph, Joseph is addressed as "Joseph, son of David...."
Identity in the MIddle East was, and still is, commonly traced in conversation to establish credentials of family, clan, and tribe! While some folks in our culture have fun with genealogy, especially through Ancestry.com, this is seen more or less as a matter of curiosity. Our driver's licenses or passports don't require it. Legal documents may ask for a "maiden name" but don't go any further, unless there is a piece of real estate involved and then it is the genealogy of the property - a "title search!" - not a person.
Today's gospel scripture assures us that Jesus is the REAL DEAL! We do not have to wait for someone else! Go and tell everyone what you have seen and heard of him! AMEN